20demayo Chapter 444 : Becoming the Supreme (2)
Chapter 444 : Becoming the Supreme (2)
Chapter 444: Becoming the Supreme (2)
If Eungga were to take control of the Heavenly Demon Sect, it would become difficult for him to even maintain his position as Head of Unmil Pavilion.
Let alone remain as Head, there was no guarantee he would even be allowed to stay in the Heavenly Demon Sect. He had calculated that it was in his best interest to completely drive Eungga out before being discarded like a hunting dog once the hunt was over.
However, Demonic Master had been waiting for Eungjo to make his move, and so he didn’t miss this opportunity.
“This young master accepts Young Master Eung’s proposal!”
Hyangbyeok shot up in surprise at those words.
“Young Master Eum!”
Demonic Master raised his hand to calm the commotion in the hall.
“As Young Master Eung said, our sect respects strength, and deciding right and wrong by that strength is not a violation of our sect’s laws. Let us resolve this matter through martial strength. If I win, I ask the elders supporting Young Master Eung to refrain from making further comments about this issue in the future. Conversely, those who support me should lend their support to Young Master Eung if I lose. Only by doing so can our sect truly become stronger. I want our sect to step out from the shadows and into the light. And if someone more capable than I can lead our sect to that future, then I will gladly become the stepping stone.”
His speech was filled with sincerity and a sense of self-sacrifice for the Heavenly Demon Sect, moving even those elders who had supported Eungjo.
Even though it was clear at a glance that Eum Sajeok would likely not be able to defeat Eungjo, the dignity with which he accepted the challenge was deeply moving.
With just that one statement, Eum Sajeok made it clear that he valued the Heavenly Demon Sect’s future more than its throne.
“Ah, I am truly moved by Young Master Eum’s noble spirit!”
But as he spoke, Eungjo murmured to himself inwardly.
‘Still a greenhorn. If he’s falling for such an obvious provocation, he’s got a long way to go.’
Eungjo smiled, convinced everything was going exactly as he had planned.
The meeting suddenly transformed into a martial duel.
The hall was spacious enough that holding a duel posed no problem.
Eum Sajeok and Eungjo stood facing each other.
Eum Sajeok already knew that Eungjo was connected to the Hao Sect.
He had no intention of letting him go unharmed. If he wanted to seize the Heavenly Demon Sect, the Hao Sect had to be completely eliminated—he intended to kill him from the start.
Eungjo, on the other hand, wanted to achieve an overwhelming victory that would leave a deep impression on the elders.
So from the beginning, he had come with a lethal technique.
From Eungjo’s sword burst forth the White Tiger Grand Art—one of the Four Supreme Martial Arts.
Eungjo had already surpassed the peak realm, and each of his moves contained a formidable presence that couldn’t be taken lightly.
As White Tiger’s Heavenly Roar unfolded, sword qi shot forth from Eungjo’s blade and surged toward Demonic Master.
It was a technique where the sword qi followed after the slash, making it a fatal move that could decapitate anyone caught off guard.
It was a finishing move where sword qi rained down upon any opponent who chased him while he retreated.
‘Still too young!’
Eungjo scoffed, clearly unimpressed with Eum Sajeok’s youthful appearance.
But when Demonic Master evaded White Tiger’s Heavenly Roar with exquisite movement arts, Eungjo’s smile vanished.
Puh-puh-puh-puhk!
The sword qi from White Tiger’s Heavenly Roar struck a stone pillar, puncturing several fist-sized holes.
The elders, who hadn’t expected Eungjo to be so powerful, let out gasps of awe.
“To have reached that level at such a young age… In five years, he could be contending for dominance over the world.”
One of the elders who supported Eungjo commented, but the rest silently continued watching.
A chilling cold aura began to radiate from Eum Sajeok’s body, making it feel like they were being hit with the biting winds of midwinter.
“Oh! It looks like he’s mastered the Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art!”
Hyangbyeok intentionally raised his voice.
The Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art was an exclusive technique of the old master Lee Taegong, a peerless yin-based martial art.
Because it was known to be nearly impossible to master, the elders didn’t believe Hyangbyeok’s claim.
The idea that someone had perfected a technique even Lee Taegong hadn’t was laughable to them.
Eungjo now used White Tiger’s Mountain-Piercing Drill, sending sword qi in staggered waves—high, middle, and low.
If even one breath faltered, it was a technique that could not be blocked.
But at that moment, Demonic Master summoned the Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art and struck back with sheer force.
Doo-doo-doong!
A booming sound like a drum echoed, and Eungjo’s sword qi froze white and shattered.
The Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art was a yin-based martial art capable of freezing even the opponent’s force itself.
“That’s the Frost Qi Cold Palm! (氷氣寒掌)”
“My god! He really did master the Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art to its extreme!”
Cries of astonishment erupted from all around.
Momentarily taken aback, Eungjo retaliated with a lightning-speed slash using White Tiger’s Black Flash.
If he had the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword, the speed would’ve surpassed what human eyes and muscles could even register.
Demonic Master raised his hand to block.
‘Hmph. Even without the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword, White Tiger’s Black Flash doesn’t lose its destructive power. Slicing through your arm should be no harder than cutting tofu.’
Eungjo grinned as he felt his blade catch on something solid—like bone.
Until now, no one had survived this move.
‘Ah, wait—there was one guy!’
He even had the leisure to recall Yong Hwarin’s face, so confident was he.
But then he flinched.
His blade had been blocked by a sword that glowed like ice.
“What the...?”
What he had thought was bone being severed had actually been ice.
Demonic Master brought his face close and spoke.
“If you master the Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art, you can even freeze your own internal energy. And once frozen, you can shape it like a sword.”
From the palm of Demonic Master’s left hand, a dagger shaped like an icicle emerged—and stabbed toward Eungjo’s chest.
Eungjo instinctively raised his left hand to block.
Puhk!
An icicle-like dagger pierced through Eungjo’s left palm. In an instant, frost began to spread from his palm, crawling up his forearm in a sheen of white.
“What?”
Eungjo stepped back and shook the frost-covered arm.
Then, as if ice were shattering, cracks formed along his left arm before it broke off and fell.
His entire left hand had frozen solid and shattered.
The elders, stunned by the sight, all shot up from their seats in unison.
Thud!
Some were so shocked that they tripped over their chairs while standing up.
They had assumed Hyangbyeok had been exaggerating, but now, witnessing with their own eyes that Third Young Master Eum Sajeok had indeed mastered the Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art, they were astonished.
As Demonic Master stepped toward Eungjo again, five elders of the Hao Sect rushed forward and blocked him.
“Step back! Or you die!”
When they turned to threaten Demonic Master, he grinned—then suddenly roared.
“You bastards! Who do you think you’re posturing in front of?! Do you even know where you are right now?! This is the Heavenly Demon Sect! What, you think just because a stray mutt barks that this becomes its home?! Move if you don’t want to die!”
At Demonic Master’s overwhelming presence, the five experts—who had been glaring at him like they wanted him dead—winced.
“Young Master Eung! Step aside! Our match isn’t over yet!”
As Demonic Master pointed his finger, the five experts could no longer restrain themselves and lunged at him.
Demonic Master had been waiting for just that. With all of his cultivation from Four Gaps fully released, he drew the Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art to its peak.
In that moment, icicle-like spikes densely formed all over Demonic Master’s body and stretched outward.
He looked like a hedgehog, his body covered in icicles.
The five experts didn’t even get a proper chance to resist—impaled instantly, they died on the spot.
“He... he reached the state of Frost Qi Hedgehog! (氷氣猬人)”
This was the final ultimate form of the Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art—a crystallization of enhanced qi so absolute that it was said none could oppose it.
To think that Eum Sajeok had accomplished something even Lee Taegong could not... The elders stared, jaws dropped.
Hyangbyeok, who had been trembling as he watched, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Wahaha! At last, someone in our sect has fully mastered one of our ancestral martial arts! The grand ancestor would rise from his grave to see this!”
The Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art was one of the Three Grand Martial Arts of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Known for its difficulty, it was said to be virtually impossible to perfect.
Now that someone had achieved mastery, Hyangbyeok clapped his hands in joy.
In truth, there had been a twist of fate involved.
The Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art could not be mastered through typical cultivation using standard mental arts and qi accumulation.
But who would’ve expected that the Hell King’s True Qi Demonic Master had obtained would align perfectly with the Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art?
There are many coincidences in the world, but few align as perfectly as this.
Knowing this, Demonic Master was able to master the Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art with relative ease.
“Now, who would dare to question Third Young Master Eum’s legitimacy?!”
At Hyangbyeok’s words, the elders who had supported Young Master Eum clapped in agreement.
Eungjo, seeing someone defeat experts he himself couldn’t control, felt his legs buckle.
Demonic Master stepped forward and spoke.
“There’s no problem if I kill you now, right?”
To that, Eungjo responded,
“You think things will be fine for you if you kill me? The Heavenly Demon Sect won’t even have a roof beam left.”
Demonic Master replied,
“I told you. This is the Heavenly Demon Sect! We don’t cower before the likes of you!”
With that, Demonic Master brought his hand down and crushed Eungjo’s head.
Crack!
It burst like a ripe watermelon—but no blood flowed.
Even the blood had frozen instantly from the Cold Spirit Yin Ice Art.
It happened so quickly that not even Hyangbyeok had time to intervene.
The elders who had supported Eungjo stood frozen, staring in shock.
Demonic Master turned to them and said,
“If anyone has complaints about me, step forward now. You're welcome to test whether I’m fit to be this sect’s heir.”
No one stepped forward. Demonic Master continued,
“Then from now on, anyone who stirs up trouble again over the successor position will be held accountable for that chaos!”
Among the elders, none dared to oppose Demonic Master, who had reached the realm of Frost Qi Hedgehog.
Seeing Demonic Master overpower the Council of Elders through sheer force and presence, something hot welled up from the depths of Hyangbyeok’s chest.
‘Has a martial artist who stirs the blood finally been born in our sect once again?’
Before he realized it, Hyangbyeok found himself bowing his head toward Demonic Master.
‘It is now Eum Sajeok’s Heavenly Demon Sect. At last, we too can step into the light!’
Unable to contain his surging emotions, Hyangbyeok clenched his fists and trembled.